Burmese Sketches - Khamkoo

BURMESE SKETCHES. 2 3
prieslhood, called Fassin, who officiate at weddings and
lunerals, are conservators of traditions and exorcists in cases of
sickness or seizure by devils or witches. These Passin are
called Fassafiov Pdksan in archaic Burmese, and are now known
2iS Nat'kadaws ox s^iniwdi] mediunis. Ihese Aat-kadaws still
preserve their ancient tradition and practise exorcism ; but
their presence is no longer required at Burmese weddings and
funerals. The sacred tree among the Chins is ' Subri,' called
' Sabre ' or ' ' Thabye (Eugenia) by the Burmese, who hold it
equally sacred and make use of its leaves in ail domestic, State
and religious ceremonies. The most striking resemblance as
embodied in the Dhammathats, (Burmese law-book,) is the
pecuniary compensation exacted for all sorts of crime. Even
for man- slaughter, no life must be taken, the penalty of not
paying a fine being slavery. Lastly, the tie of connubial union
IS a loose one, and chastity before marriage, is not a virtue
that is either universally practised or appreciated.
Reference has been made above to the incursion into India,
in the and century B. C, of the Scythian or Tartar tribes, it
is remarkable that some of the 1 attar customs should have
prevailed in Burma. The coincidence cannot be ascribed to
mere accident, or to the common mechanism of the human
mind, but must be due to the heritage of the race. A universal
custom, which extended for a thousand years over the whole
Tartary, was for the son to take over his deceased father's
wives (with the exception of his own natural mother), and for
younger brothers to take over the widows of their elder brothers.
This custom lasted among the members of the Burmese Royal
Family for about 2,000 years from the sth century B. C. to the
iSth century A.D. The left side was the most honorable, and
officials were appointed in pairs, one for the Left and the other
for the Right. The heir to the throne was called the Eastern
Prince. There were certain superstitions regarding the position
of the sun and moon, and touching certain days in the calendar.
In all important undertakings, the state of the moon was taken
into account, the waxing period being considered more
auspicious than the waning. Valuable objects were buried
with the dead, but no mourning was worn, and no mound,
tablet or tree was erected over the grave. ^^ The whole of the
above customs were observed under the late Burmese Govern*
ment. There remains the question as to the autochthonous
races, which were displaced by the Burmese, Takings, Shans,
Chins and Karens in Burma. Before the advent of these
i^ Farker's A Thoumid Years of the Tartars, pages 6, 17-21,